Reinforced rubber sole.



l 0. C. DAVIS.

REINFORCED IIUBBER SOLE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2I, I9I6.

153,509 Patented July 10, 1917.

'WfMf/w /NVENTURI ATTYE.

sierras ranma ernten.

OSCAR C. DAVIS, FBROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

REINFORCED RUBBER SOLE.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, OSCAR C. DAVIS, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at vBrockton, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Reinforced Rubber Soles, of which the following4 is a specification.

This invention relates to a full length rubber outsole, the heel portion of which constitutes a seat for a heel body attached. to the heel seat by nails, or other suitable fasten-l ings, the rubber outsole being attachable to ,component parts of the shoe by any suitable Aflzstenings according to the make of the s oe.

The object of the invention is to provide a rubber outsole adapted to be handled and applied as a single part and having iexible fore and shank portions, and a heel portion of sul'icient strength and rigidity to enable it to be held by heel-attaching nails, or ,other fastenings, without liability of stretching or yielding at the pointswhere said nails pass through it.

To this end-z the invention consists in the improvements-which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciication,- l

Figure 1- is a plan view of the upper side of a sole embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 isa, section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views of the reinforcing4 members shown by Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section showing my improved outsole incorporated in a shoe.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view,

showing a modification.

The same reference characters indicate the g same or similar parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, 12 represents a sole body made of elastic rubber, this term including any vulcanizable composition commonly employed in making elastic soles. Sald body includes a fore portion, a shank portion, and a heel portion all formed in one piece.

To the upper side of the heel portion of the body 12 I attach a reinforcing heelshaped member 13, formedlto engage the nails 14 which secure the heel body 15 to the sole body and to the heel seat portion of the shoe, said heel seat portion including-a part of the usual inner sole 16. The member 13 may be of any suitably strong and relay Specification of Letters Patent.

or leather-board, adapted to be penetrated by the nails and having sufficient tensile strength to prevent liability of enlargement of the holes formed by the nails, said member therefore reinforcing the heel portion of the rubber solebody so that said portion is adapted to be securely held by the heel-attaching nails. If desired, the member 13 may be made' of one or more layers of frictioned duckor canvas. `The member 13 is intimately united to the heel portion of the rubber body by vulcanization, said member vulcanized. The strength of the'union may be increased by forming openings 17 .in the member 13, said openings receiving portions of the material of the rubber body 'in the form of tongues or plugs 18 iilling the openings and vulcanized to the Walls thereof.

'The openings should be'spaced from the quirlng independent handling. If desired, l

the body 12 may be provided with a tread .member 20 applied to the under side of the toe portion of the body and united thereto in the same manner thatthe heel shaped member 13 is united tothe heel portion, the tread member occupying a recess in the under side of the body so that its under side forms a art of the tread surface of the sole, and 1s flush with the rubber portion of said tread surface. l

The tread member 2O may be provided with openings 21 receiving portions 22 of the material of the rubber body, and with a channel 23 (Fig. 2), adapted to receive stitches 24 securing the fore part of the outsole including the member 20, to the welt, or

adapted to resist wear to a satisfactory extent, and to be united by vulcanization to the rubber body. y

As shown by Fig. 6, a reinforcing heelshaped member 13 may be employed, the

i Patented July 10, 1917..

Application filed December 21, 1916. Serial No. 138,181. I

Ibeing applied to the body before the same is margin of which is Within the margin of the ,heel portion of the outsole body. In each substantially coextensive with the elastic heel portion of the rubber body, and With the heel body 15, so that the liexibility of the fore and shank portions of .the outsole is not affected by said member.

A full length outsole having flexible fore and shank portions, and a relatively inflexible reinforced heel portion, adapted to receive attaching nails, and free from liability to tear away from such nails, said outsole comprising a one-piece elastic rubber body, the elastic heel portion of which forms a seat for a heel body, and a relatively inflexible heel-shaped reinforcing member of greater tensile strength,` intimately united With said elastic heel portion and forming the upperl side of theheel-end of the sole, said reinforcing member being formed and arranged to receive nails connecting a heel body, the heel-end of the outsole, and the heel-seat portion of a shoe', and being substantially coextensive with the said elastic heel portion, so that the flexibility of the shank and fore portions of the sole is unaffected.

.In testimony whereof I have aixed my signature.

OSCAR CIDAVIS. 

